What to Put in Decorative Glass Jars in the Kitchen

Spice up your kitchen décor with these clever ideas for decorative glass jars! Let me show you what to put in them that may surprise you.

Decorative glass jars in your kitchen provide the perfect opportunity to organize and decorate at the same time. Check out these ideas on how to choose what goes in your decorative glass jars so they become something special within your home!

Outdoor branches displayed in a glass jar container on a kitchen counter.

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My grandma had a cookie jar.

And this cookie jar was full of magic! At least it was for 7-year-old me!

Homemade cookies were housed in this magical cookie jar and I would wait anxiously for that moment when the cookies were offered. 

This memory sticks with me after all these years and I am struck by how a functional yet decorative item can have such an impact.

Kitchens need storage. But they also need a little magic!

I think decorative glass jars used as home decor in the kitchen are the perfect way to work some functional and decorative magic. 

What types of glass containers work best on a kitchen counter or baker’s rack?

Consider the immense world of empty jars and then start to fill them.  Any clear jar will do. There is not a “wrong” glass jar choice! 

Look for jars in different sizes that can hold a variety of things that you use every day in the kitchen. 

You can find them at home stores or the dollar store, fancy boutiques, or thrift stores! Here are some types to look out for. Many of these are similar in style but just have different names.

  • Large glass jars
  • Canning jars
  • Mason jars/Ball jar
  • Glass apothecary jars
  • Wide mouth jar
  • Soap Dispenser
  • Glass storage jars
  • Beverage dispenser

But what to put in them? Here are some new ideas you might not have considered!

Glass Jar Food Storage

Open your pantry doors and start filling glass jars!

From rice to pasta to cereal, various grains, beans, and noodles have beautiful colors and textures that are so appealing when displayed in glass jars in the kitchen.

This lidded glass jar has an airtight seal that helps keep balsamic rice dry and fresh. Displayed on a wooden board right next to the olive oil is a handy reach when creating a main or side dish for dinner!

A lidded glass jar containing balsamic rice is displayed on a wooden board with olive olive and plants.

One problem that I ran into when storing grains in jars…the cooking instructions got thrown away when I filled the jars!

My solution? I cut out the cooking instructions and tape them to the bottom of the jar. 

It is an easy way to keep the instructions handy!

The cooking instructions are cut from the bag and taped to the bottom oof the glass jar.

I like to store chia seeds in a sealed glass jar on the kitchen counter. It reminds me to add a little to my yogurt each day.

And the seeds look fabulous under glass!

Chia seeds stored in a sealed lidded glass jar in the kitchen.

After years of storing sugar and various flours in the pantry, I decided to keep them handy on the counter in these lidded glass canisters.

This saves so much time when baking and I am visually reminded when we are low on certain staples.

Plus, it just looks so pretty on the kitchen countertop!

Three glass canisters holding various flours and displayed as accents against a kitchen backsplash.

Perhaps my favorite glass jar hack is my “lazy one-cup” teacup. This charming teacup is just shy of a perfect one-cup measure and is perfect for a quick scoop of sugar when baking!

I love seeing the teacup buried in a mini-mountain of sugar!

A glass container holding sugar and a blue and white teacup.

Colorful Glass Storage

I used to find little containers of colorful red and green sprinkles floating around a pantry drawer with a sweet trail of color close behind.

Kitchen glass jars solve this problem. They take up little counter space and the bright colors are so cheerful seen through the glass. 

Whether celebrating a birthday, anniversary, holiday, or other special occasions, keep the sprinkles and candy on display!

Colored sprinkles are displayed in sealed glass jars.

Glass Storage for Beverages

What would I do without my coffee? Not much, I’m afraid!

While the idea of a kitchen coffee bar is very appealing to me, I always drink my coffee black or with just a splash of cream. So a couple of glass jars with regular and dark roasted ground coffee are all I need for my morning, afternoon, and yes, evening coffee!

Sealed glass container holding ground coffee is displayed on a woven placemat with a coffee pot and cream pitcher.

And in coffee central #2, I keep coffee pods handy by piling them into an open glass jar. Easy access to a quick cup of coffee!

Coffee pods stored in a glass vase for daily storage.

I drink tea too! Hot tea is the choice when trying to avoid my late-night munchies so this lidded glass jar is a practical way to store tea bags. And individual cold tea packets help me meet my water quota for the day.

Keep both handy in beautiful glass jars!

Glass containers holding tea bags and individual tea packets.

Functional and Lovely Glass Jars in the Kitchen

Functionality can be attractive!

This leather-handled glass jar is perfect for collecting change at the day’s end. This is a great filler that actually saves you money!

A glass jar with a leather handle is the container for loose change.

If you have a dog, you probably have dog treats in the house. Why not give Fido an upgrade in his treat container?

I am a huge fan of large apothecary jars and have used this one for many, many years. Right now, the best way to use it is to store Bentley’s dog treats!

An apothecary jar holding dog treats.

Bentley knows that the “good treats” are kept in this lidded apothecary jar. He is a smart dog and “assumes the position” in front of the jar when he wants a snack!

Don’t worry! He got a treat after this photo was taken!

Our dog, Bentley, sitting in front of a jar of dog treats.

Place a candle in a jar.

Or beautify something as utilitarian as hand sanitizer by storing it in glass.

A candle in a jar on a pedestal by the kitchen sink.
A glass bottle filled with hand sanitizer sitting on a pedestal by the kitchen sink.

We can’t forget flowers!

Pretty blooms are perfect in a kitchen glass jar that is repurposed as a lovely vase.

Does a recycled vodka bottle count as a glass container for kitchen decor?

Abso-bloomin’-lutely!

faux pink flowers displayed in various recycled glass containers.

These blue jars were a fun thrift store find and are a great way to display flowers on a kitchen island or counter.

Light shining through the window really illumintes the blue glass. To help the light find the glass, I elevated the jars on a dough bowl turned upside down.

Decorative glass jars are a great addition to any kitchen. They add character and charm while also having practical functions like storing spices and pantry staples. With these ideas, you may be inspired to get some decorative glass jars for your own kitchen. I’ll bet you have some great ideas of your own!

Of course, it doesn’t have to stop there! You could also use the jars to store odds and ends like candy or snacks or use them as travel mugs for picnicking. No matter what option you choose, decorative glass jars can make a plain kitchen look stylish. 

Cheers!

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What to put in decorative glass jars in the kitchen.

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17 Comments

  1. Wow!! I REALLY enjoyed this post, Missy!!
    There is something so fun about putting things in jars…I don’t know what it is!! I keep all sorts of things in glass jars in my kitchen like you, coffee being the most important. I love those blue jars you found at the thrift store…how fun to hold flowers!! Amazing post!

    1. Hi Rachel! Thank you so much! I would agree…my coffee jar is probably the most important one! I was so thrilled to find the blue jars at a thrift store. I actually debated whether to get them…for about 10 seconds! What else do you put in jars? So fun to play with them!

  2. Awesome glass jars. I especially love those big ones with the flour and sugar. My sister still uses her jars. I would love to have some myself but with limited space in my small kitchen I now have everything in small containers in my kitchen cupboard.
    I visited you via Spring Pastels at All About Home #194
    If you are not already part of SSPS, this is a personal invite to hop over and come and share your posts with us at Senior Salon Pit Stop, every Monday to Saturday.
    See my entries: 103+104 and then navigate to the bottom of my page for the Senior Salon Pit Stop linkup, we hope to meet you there virtually.

    1. Hi Esme’, Small containers are perfect in kitchen cupboards! I find that I tuck some away and then trade out what I have on the counter. Revolving glass jars! Keeps things interesting! Thanks for visiting!

    1. Oh how exciting, Allyson! Thank you so much! I will, of course, stop by! You have a great link party!

    1. Hi Lyndsey! I will definitely head to your link party on Tuesday. Have fun decorating your glass vase!

  3. I love glass jars in the kitchen. We are planning our kitchen remodel, and I am collecting glass jars for a new pantry. I am kind of excited since none of them will match. Perfectly imperfect… I love your ideas Missy. Thank you for sharing.

  4. I love glass jars in the kitchen. We are planning our kitchen remodel, and I am collecting glass jars for a new pantry. I am kind of excited since none of them will match. Perfectly imperfect… I love your ideas Missy. We also keep our Bentley’s treats in a glass jar too! Thank you for sharing.

  5. Love these ideas, especially the sugar with the beautiful teacup inside! My great grandmother’s magic was her amazing homemade rolls. The kind where you can’t even jump in the house while they’re baking or they will fall. Ahhhhmazing! Thanks for linking up on Crafty Creators. Hope to see you tomorrow!

    1. My grandmother too! I remember tiptoeing around so they wouldn’t fall! Thank you so much for your link party and stopping by my blog!

  6. Hi Missy! There are some great ideas in this post. I am with you – I love glass containers because you can see what’s in them and if you are about to run out of an item. Also, I love your idea of putting chia seeds in a jar so you are reminded to use them. Thanks for linking up with the Home Imagined link party.

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